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Formerly the home of Beaumont-Wilshire Neighbors for Responsible Growth, the Portland Land Matters blog explores citywide land-use concerns, such as home demolitions, with the belief that development should create an improvement.

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

New City Council can help avoid a development mess

I just had it confirmed that City Council will take a look at apartments without parking from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 10, at City Hall, 1221 S.W. Fourth. Hopefully the lack of timely notice (or, in some cases, notice at all) and midday scheduling won't keep the concerned citizens away. Let's surprise them with the solid turnout we've seen so far.

A quarter of the allotted hour is reserved for the studies done in November by the Planning and Sustainability Commission. I hope some of the key findings are presented, namely that 72 percent of the people will bring their cars, impacting traffic and pedestrian safety on already burdened street systems. In the case of Northeast Fremont, a two-lane thoroughfare already designated a major emergency response route, how much more traffic can be handled without an uptick in collisions?

In addition the site is more than 500 feet away from the proscribed distance to frequent transit for this type of building, so people living in the proposed project might be more inclined beyond that 72 percent to own cars. The very nature of the site (landlocked on three sides) and its lack of amenities do not support the proposed size of the building.

Hopefully the new atmosphere at City Council and a new year make a difference on this issue.

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Neighbors work at all levels to stem the destruction of unique, affordable housing and the wave of lower-quality and more expensive construction taking its place. Join us.

This blog also chronicles the fight to bring Wally Remmers's project on Northeast Fremont between 44th and 45th avenues into compliance. The project has become a symbol of the city's inability to consistently apply code and stand up to out-of-town developers exploiting Portland's finest resource.